


fever.

by seekrest



Series: febuwhump 2020. [2]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Fever, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Sick Peter Parker, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22529269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Peter was adrift, waves endlessly crashing over him - loud, bright, completely consuming all his senses.That wasn’t right, Peter thinks - wondering when he’d last been to the beach for as much as he felt like he was underwater - the world careening in and out of focus to the point where Peter’s not sure if he's awake or dreaming.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: febuwhump 2020. [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619581
Comments: 37
Kudos: 219





	fever.

Peter was adrift, waves endlessly crashing over him - loud, bright, completely consuming all his senses. 

_That wasn’t right_ , Peter thinks - wondering when he’d last been to the beach for as much as he felt like he was underwater. 

There were sounds everywhere - voices and alarms that were muffled, Peter feeling like he did when he was eight years old, scared to go on the roller coaster at Coney Island.

He could still remember Ben telling him that it was okay, that they could always try again next year - only for Peter to insist, pushing himself and Ben to prove that he wasn’t afraid of heights. 

It’d been a disaster - the ride shuttering before stopping right at the top, Peter still remembering how hard he tried to put on a brave face and the look on Ben’s - his own fear mirrored on the face of the man he trusted most in the world.

 _“It’s okay to be scared, Pete. You can be scared.”_ He remembered Ben saying, rubbing his shoulders as they cling to each other. _“You just can’t let fear control you.”_

It’s those words he’s holding onto now even though he feels like he can’t hold on to anything - the world careening in and out of focus to the point where Peter’s not sure if he's awake or dreaming. 

Sirens and flashes of light are everywhere - his body feeling like it’s being tugged every which way, Peter not even sure what’s up or down. 

_“Stay with us sweetheart_.” Peter hears distantly but he’s not sure what that means, he’s not moving - the world around him is, the crack of something almost like thunder so loud that it feels like it’s shattering his ear drums.

He hears a pained cry from somewhere, turning away from the sound only for his head to be forced to stay still - freezing hands on his cheeks that make him fully recognize how much he’s burning up from the inside.

 _“Come on kiddo, stay still. You gotta stay still.”_

Peter isn’t moving though, he wants to argue - the world is, people and forces beyond his control all pushing and pulling him like the rollercoaster - like they have his entire life.

 _“His fever’s rising.”_ Peter distantly hears another voice say, sharp and yet oddly familiar - feeling the world around him start to slow down as the cold hands on his face provide more pressure.

_“Come on, kid. Come on, stay with us okay?”_

_“Tony, this is—“_

_“I know.”_ The voice sounds like it’s in pain but Peter can’t do anything to stop it, the burning in his chest - his arms, his legs, his spine - everything being so much that it immobilizes him, the pain blocking out anything else as his mind starts to warp.

 _“Blood pressure’s spiking. FRIDAY, what’s his temperature?”_ Peter hears distantly.

_“107.4 and rising.”_

_“Fuck, fuck. Pete, come on. Come on, kid.”_

The last voice comes from the one who is holding on to his face, he knows it - the only thing he’s really certain of. 

_“Tony, you have to leave. I need to—“_

_“I’m not leaving, Cho.”_ The voice snaps, Peter barely registering how it breaks at the end - feeling like he’s drifting further and further away from wherever he is.

It’s like the rollercoaster once it had started working, like the first time he’d ever flung himself off a building with his webs - the rush of the wind all around him and the feeling of being suspended in motion.

Peter feels weightless, the frantic sounds of beeping and the voices yelling growing more and more distant - clouding out everything else until there’s nothing but darkness.

He feels the heaviness draping over him like a warm blanket, his mind immediately going back to the feeling of what it had been like with Ben after their disastrous rollercoaster ride - bringing his arms around him and whispering that everything was going to be okay.

 _You’re okay, Pete. You’re okay._ Ben had said, Peter letting himself trust the memory of his uncle’s words - the other sounds and voices in the background all fading away. 

It’s the last thing he remembers — Ben’s quiet words, the pressure of the hands on his face and the pained whispers of a voice he vaguely recognizes before Peter fades into the deep. 

* * *

The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and the steady whir and whine of the ventilator are the only things keeping Tony from falling off the edge, the only reminders that Peter is still breathing - still _alive_ \- though even that isn’t something that feels guaranteed.

He looks over to May, slumped over in the chair across from him - soft breathing and face contorted into a grimace, Tony feeling a pang of guilt that Peter was in this position to begin with.

It wasn’t his fault - wasn’t even Peter’s from what they could gather from the suit footage. A freak accident, Tony wondering how the hell Peter’s luck could be so bad that he could swing away from a gunshot only to be struck by lightning. 

The flash of lightning outside draws his attention back to the window for a second, the storm that hadn’t stopped since the night Peter had been brought in.

Four days of thunderstorms.

Four days of Tony hoping more than he ever has before. 

Four days of Peter lying motionless on the bed in front of him, the streaks and burn marks long healed and the fever he’d had finally down.

Tony’s first thoughts had been focused on looking for a spinal injury when he was first brought in, Peter’s head moving but not much else as they had rolled him into the medbay. 

But Cho was now worried about brain damage, his fever spiking up to 108 before they were able to administer enough medication to bring it down. 

His latest scans showed some activity but they wouldn’t know anything until he woke up - a possibility that felt more and more unlikely. 

Tony glanced back over to May, seeing her shiver before he sighed - grabbing a blanket and quietly walking over to where she was, gently draping it over her. 

He goes to grab his phone, send a message to FRIDAY about adjusting the temperature in the room when she stirs - blinking herself awake, Tony taking a step back and giving her a half-smile in apology.

May jerks herself awake at the sight of Tony standing - hurriedly looking over to Peter before turning back to him, whispering, “Did something—“

Tony shakes his head. “No, no just— kid always said you get cold easily. Just trying to…” he gestures vaguely towards the blanket, May taking it in before her expression falls - Tony feeling a pang in his chest at how quickly she’d had hope only for it to fade.

She sits up anyway, Tony walking back over to his chair on the other side of Peter’s bed - May leaning over to brush her fingers over Peter’s hand.

It’s quiet between them, the soft whirring of the ventilator and the beeping of the heart monitor the only sound in the room before May speaks, her voice clear and full of conviction.

“He’s gonna be okay.”

Tony grinds his teeth, eyes on Peter’s eerily still form before looking to May - seeing the firm expression on her face.

“May—“

“He’s gonna be okay, Tony.” She says again, her voice a little softer but the steadiness clear as ever. “He’s broken nearly every bone in his body, survived bullet wounds and a plane crash.” 

May’s voice cut off - Tony’s eyes moving back to Peter, the ugly tube down his throat causing his own throat to constrict. 

“He _has_ to be okay.” May finally whispers, Tony in complete agreement but saying nothing - his mind providing him with all the different scenarios of how badly things could still become.

Peter’s fever had been too high for a normal person, much less one with spider-DNA — even Cho unsure of what the damage done would mean, considering that he still hadn’t woken up. 

But Tony doesn’t trust himself to say anything, choosing instead to lean forward and take Peter’s other hand, mindful of the pulse ox monitor as he says, “You hear that, Pete? Aunt hottie says you’re gonna be okay so, anytime you wanna wake up is fine with us.”

May lets out a garbled laugh, Tony almost hoping that the sound of it would be enough for Peter to wake up - just as he had so many times before.

He doesn’t - the heaviness in Tony’s chest tightening as he grips his hand tighter around Peter’s, wishing for a miracle he’s not sure will ever come.

**Author's Note:**

> Endless thanks to blondsak for beta’ing!! Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Or come yell at me on [tumblr](https://seek-rest.tumblr.com).


End file.
